Officials have rescued 170 victims, including 14 children, during a statewide human trafficking crackdown in California led by the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said "Operation Reclaim and Rebuild," held during the last week of January, involved more than 80 local, state and federal agencies.
Officials reported 611 total arrests statewide, including 71 suspected traffickers and 328 suspected sex buyers, and said 170 victims were rescued -- 156 adults and 14 children, the youngest aged 13.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, citing United Nations' International Labour Organization figures, human traffickers victimize an estimated 27.6 million people worldwide. Around 77 percent are in forced labor, while 23 percent are in the sex industry. The department said that while no reliable estimate exists for the United States, human trafficking has been reported in all 50 states.
In a separate multiagency operation targeting human traffickers in Texas last year, authorities located more than 30 missing children.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman told the Tuesday news conference that human trafficking is a "multibillion-dollar" industry and "modern slavery," reported CBS News.
In Los Angeles County, the operation resulted in 192 arrests, with enforcement along corridors including part of Figueroa Street, a longstanding area of concern for trafficking activity, according to law enforcement officials.
Authorities said the crackdown included parole and probation checks, and that a community tip about a suspected brothel in Walnut led to multiple residential brothel discoveries and six suspected traffickers arrested in that case.
Officials displayed seized firearms and other items at the news conference and emphasized the effort targeted both traffickers and buyers, with charging decisions to follow.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna wrote on Instagram after the news conference: "Human trafficking has no place in our communities, and this operation sends a strong message that it will not be tolerated in California. To every survivor, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department stands with you. You are not alone. We are here to help you reclaim your freedom and rebuild your future."
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said, per CBS News: "This is a multibillion-dollar industry. It is nothing less than modern slavery."
"We have traffickers that are putting barely teenage girls out there on the streets of Los Angeles to be victimized," said Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton, according to the Los Angeles Times: "Survivors need care. They need time, they need a chance to rebuild their lives," he added.
Anyone with information on suspected trafficking can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or by texting "INFO" to 233733, according to information shared at the event and referenced by local outlets.